Holiday A Big Day For Traffic

Officials Gear Up For Labor Day

The Friday afternoon before the Labor Day weekend, the last chance at three carefree summer days at the beach, and interstate traffic was backed up at Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

Westbound - going the wrong way.

"Seems like everybody's leaving, coming this way," said 1st Sgt. J.F. Drexler of the State Police. "Don't ask me why."

Traditionally, traffic is backed up going eastbound toward the oceanfront.

The beach, specifically Virginia Beach, is where a flood of college students is expected this weekend as fraternities and sororities from up and down the East Coast gather for a beach party known as Greekfest.

Along the interstate highways leading to the beaches of Virginia and North Carolina, State Police will be out patroling in numbers greater than usual.

"Everybody is working and out there trying to be as visible as possible," Drexler said.

At least three state troopers have been assigned daily and nightly patrols of interstates 64 and 664 in Hampton and Newport News, watching specifically for drivers who might be intoxicated, said Drexler, who works out of Newport News.

Troopers are expecting the usual heavy holiday weekend traffic, Drexler said, although as of Friday afternoon the only problem seemed to be a slowdown of westbound traffic, which had backed up to the 4th Street-Ocean View exit on the Norfolk side.

"It's been pretty heavy since about 12 o'clock," said Harold Melson, bridge-tunnel superintendent.

For the weekend, the tunnel has put on extra workers and supervisors and ordered up extra wreckers to keep traffic running as smoothly as possible.

"We're expecting the worst, but it's no telling what it'll be like," Melson said.

Although a traffic count for Friday was not available yet, Melson said that last Labor Day weekend the vehicle count for Friday was 91,300, dropping to 85,000 vehicles Saturday, 70,600 on Sunday and 72,100 vehicles on Labor Day itself.

This year, he said, "It'll probably be a little more. We always expect more."

Just as the police are watching on shore, the Coast Guard is prepared off shore for one of the traditionally busy search-and-rescue weekends.

"This is the last big boating week. A lot of people out for a last big fling," said Coast Guard Lt. Kevin Harkins.

Although not out to specifically track down intoxicated boaters, as of last weekend the Coast Guard has been armed with breathalyzer tests and will prosecute, Harkins said.

Hotels in Williamsburg and Newport News were full and close to being full Friday afternoon.

"Labor Day is usually the traditional blowout end of the season weekend, although occupancy rates look good for the next several weeks," said John Zurfluh, Omni Hotel's front office manager.

"We're sold out starting tomorrow," said Rob Birdsong, assistant front office manager for the Williamsburg Hilton. "We've had an excellent summer, doing very well. Actually we had a very busy year."

Today's high temperature should be in the mid-80s, with variable cloudiness and southwesterly winds 10-15 mph, shifting to the north at 10-20 mph later in the day, said Joe Serafim, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Tonight's forecast calls for partly cloudly skies with a 20 percent chance of rain and lows around 70, he said.

Sunday and Monday look to be about the same, Serafim said: Highs in the low 80s, mostly sunny.